Vampire Dark Ages: The Three Statues
by V Shape Otaku
Summary: Based on a chronicle played for Vampire: The Dark Ages, a band of Anarch Vampires go on a quest to protect one girl, stand against the Camarilla of London, and struggle against their humanity along the way.
1. Prelude

Based off of a chronicle that myself and several friends ran a few years back. The game is set to the rules lined out in White Wolf's _Vampire: The Dark Ages_, which I do not own. However, the characters and the storyline are all our own, with the exception of the Camarilla and the Anarch movement.

**Prelude**

Luca bowed in thanks to the priest as she left the church for the day from her studies. She turned and stepped into the streets, squinting as she looked to see some movement on the edge of her town. From a distance, all she could distinguish was that it was a caravan of wagons, each wagon with a symbol painted on it. Even though she did not recognize the specific symbol, she knew what it was--the protective emblem for this particular band of gypsies that had just settled into her village for the next week.

While Luca found the people in the caravans to be interesting, enchanting even, she knew to be wary of the gypsies. A wild and beautiful people, perhaps, but thieves and liars made up the lot of them. Besides, she'd been told on more than one occasion that they were heathens, agents of the Devil himself. That was why they had been born with dark eyes and dark hair and that was why their dark and wild nature was always so tempting for good people to be intrigued and tricked by. But still, they did sometimes have exquisite foreign goods!

As she continued down the dirt road to the village's gates, she ran right into someone who stepped out of a side alley. They both fell to the ground, and after she was no longer dazed, Luca's eyes narrowed on who it was--Samuel, the orphan boy. Of course, he was no longer a boy, but after he'd suddenly appeared in the village 10 years prior, the name stuck on him. Luca's father had explained to her that being there for him as a friend would be the greatest help she could provide to the child. Even so, being a friend for this klutz was trying at times.

After a hasty apology and an explanation that he was in a hurry to help the blacksmith across town, Samuel jumped up and hurried off. It had never ceased to amaze Luca that her friend could manage every odd job that was available in the village, yet he always managed to trip himself or say the wrong thing to her. She reflected that he could perhaps _like_ her, but he hadn't nearly the nerve to try courting her. While Luca was headstrong herself, and didn't always adhere to 'womanly behavior,' she also had other ideas in her head as to whom she'd rather court.

Unfortunately, the object of her heart's desire was the local lord's second son, Simon, who hadn't written back from the wars in over two years.

As she made her way out of the gates, she saw that she hadn't been the only one interested in what goods the gypsies had brought with them. The young girl Ana, the doctor's sister, had come along as well. Many of the rest of the villagers seemed to think that Ana was more than a little odd, some even spoke whispers that she could be a witch. Luca knew better than the latter rumor, however, as no witch would spend so much time in the church, praying for the well-being of her brother.

If anyone in the town was to be regarded as an odd bird, Wilhelm was definitely it. Ever since his wife had passed away three years prior, the doctor's mind had snapped. He was still brilliantly intelligent with medicine and tending to the sick, however he had never recovered from the loss of his wife. He would gladly take patients, but never spoke, never went out to visit with the rest of the village, and no longer showed himself in the church. Ana attended on his behalf and always apologized to the priest for her brother's absence.

Ana greeted Luca, and silently they agreed that they would walk together through the gypsy caravan. As they passed through, they saw a young man setting out leather goods, and beside him a red-headed man beside him, apparently telling a joke of some sort. Though most gypsies were dark haired and had tan skin, the red-headed man was pale, appeared to be Irish, though by the look of his clothes, was obviously with the gypsies. Bothe men looked up at Luca and Ana and smiled. The gypsy man held up a fine looking belt and began trying to convince the two to buy it when Ana pulled Luca forward.

Luca looked ahead to where Ana was leading her, seeing an older gypsy woman sitting outside of a wagon. As they got closer, Luca could notice that the woman's eyes were clouded with blindness. Confused, she looked to Ana and asked, "Why are we going to her?"

Ana smiled and spoke quietly, "She seems to be looking for us, she has something to say."

Knowing that her friend's cryptic answer had truth to it, Luca nodded and walked forward until she was within speaking distance of the woman. Before she was able to greet her, the woman stepped forward and placed her hands on Luca's face. "My child, you will be swept away into the night by demons! Don't lose your light girl, you shall need it! Protect the seer beside you, and don't lose your light!"

Before Luca could step away from the babbling gypsy, she felt Ana's hand squeeze her arm. Ana seemed to be pleading her to stay.

The old woman calmed herself somewhat and removed her hands from Luca's face. She muttered what seemed to be a prayer and turned to her wagon. She reached in and retrieved a small item and pressed it into Luca's hand. "Please, child, take this. It shall protect you, and the spirits shall watch over you so long as you wear it. Simply promise me that you'll do your best."

Dumbfounded, Luca nodded, then realizing that she was nodding to a blind woman, quietly agreed. As Ana pulled her away and back to the town, Luca looked at the item in her hand, revealing a small necklace with a rectangular pendant hardly larger than her thumb hanging from it. The pendant was divided by three types of stone that had been cut into strips and set into the pewter pendant, one strip of jade, one of amber, and one of onyx.

"Sorry about that Luca. I know that it was a bit disturbing. But please, don't forget the words of that woman, and do wear that pendant," Ana said quietly as she walked with Luca.

Knowing from previous experience that the younger girl's words often carried some weight, Luca pulled the necklace over her head and tucked it into her shirt. As soon as she had tucked it in, Ana turned to her, tears in her eyes and drew the older, red-headed girl into an embrace. As she cried onto Luca's shoulder, Ana repeated several times over, "Luca, I'm scared. I don't want things to change. I don't want to go…"

Though even more disturbed from Ana's words than she had been by the old gypsy's babbling, Luca hugged Ana back, stroking her blonde hair to comfort her. Something bad, very bad was indeed going to happen. Slowly Luca coaxed the other girl to go home, where Luca stayed with her until it was nearly dark.

When she finally left, she went to the pub, to see what her father was up to. He was sitting at a table in the corner speaking with Samuel. _Perhaps he is offering Samuel a post with the town guards, it should be about time for him to get a steady line of work_, thought Luca. As she approached the table, she noticed her father give Samuel a stern look, and the young man stood and walked away just before Luca was able to hear what they'd been discussing. As she sat next to her father, he spoke, "Luca, you do realize that you're beginning to get older on me, right?"

She nodded, wondering what he was getting to.

"And while I did have a proper husband in mind for you, perhaps it is time to move on. Have you considered any of the other young men in the village, yet, my daughter?"

Luca shook her head. She knew whom he had been referring to, and she knew that she did not agree to arranged marriage. The lord's three sons had all been sent to battle years before, and although she wished to deny it, she knew that it was thought that they had been killed in battle. Just as she was about to explain to her father her feelings on the topic, one of the village's watch towers bell began clanging wildly.

Her father, captain of the guard and village headman, leapt from his seat and hurried out to the watch tower to see what the disturbance was. Just as she was heading out, Luca caught the gaze of a man, perhaps a traveler, in the other corner of the room. She wasn't sure why, but she felt suddenly drawn to him. She began walking to his table when another guard tower sounded an alarm. She turned from him, as though a connection had suddenly been broken, and began walking out of the pub. As she stepped out, she felt a hand on her shoulder and he whispered to her, "Righteous are those who trust that they shall be vindicated by the Lord God, child. The Lord will show wonder unto the dead, and they shall rise up and praise Him."

Before Luca was able to respond, he walked around her and seemed to vanish around a corner. She broke from her thoughts and continued to see what the commotion was, the reason for the alarm. Her first reaction was to look in the direction of the village gates, thinking perhaps the gypsies had been the cause for commotion, but she noticed a fire out of the corner of her eye from the opposite direction.

Realizing that the fire was in the same direction as Ana and her brother's home, Luca rushed towards it, praying that they were alright. As she was running, she heard a third guard tower sound the alarm, and then the resounding _BOOM_ of an explosion shortly thereafter. So much was happening so fast. From another corner of the town she could hear someone's pained screams, more explosion, more fire. Why were all of these horrible things happening?

She hesitated for a moment as she reached the doctor's home, seeing his stable in flames beside it. Then there was the sound of a door from inside the house, glass shattering, the hoarse voice of the doctor cried out.

Just as Luca was about to go into the house, in hopes of helping the siblings, the doctor came running out with his sister in his arms, unconscious. "Wilhelm, is she injured?"

He shook his head as he kept running out, though he didn't seem to have a given destination to go. Luca began following him, then had the sudden urge to go outside the city gates, something was drawing her there. She could see the shack outside of town in her mind's eye, something about that place, she needed to be there in that moment. "Wilhelm, the shack outside of town, it should be safe!"

They ran as quickly as their feet could carry them, and just as the shack was in sight, they heard something behind them. A cloaked figure on a horse, dark and shadowy, seemingly unnatural. The village behind it was engulfed in flames, and the cries of dying villagers could be heard from the distance. Just as the dark figure was about to reach them, someone appeared from in front of them, leapt _over _them, and knocked him from his horse. After a few moments, the figure that had come from in front of them seemed to achieve victory over the cloaked figure that had been on the horse. He stood, turned to them, and Luca immediately recognized him as the man from the village, in the pub. In the blink of an eye, he was on her, pinning her arms to her side. The next thing Luca knew was a feeling of warmth, and then everything went black around her.

* * *

When Luca woke, all of the days' events seemed to have been a dream. She felt cold. She placed her hands on her chest as she often did after a particularly bad dream, to calm her heart. But… it wasn't beating. That could not be right. Her eyes snapped open and she took in a deep breath. Something stank. The stench of rotten flesh invaded her senses as she looked around the room.  
In the corner of the room was Samuel, although by the looks of him, it was his corpse. She scanned around to see who else was lying in the floor with her. Against a wall was Wilhelm, then the red-haired man from the gypsy caravan. There was also the gypsy man who he had been with, but rather than lying unconscious on the floor, he was standing with his arms crossed, watching Luca intently. He glanced from her to the door on the opposite side of the room and sighed.  
Moments later, the rest of the group slowly awoke. Even what Luca had thought to be Samuel's corpse--he was still alive, although definitely worse for the wear. Something was missing though--but what?  
Luca nearly choked when she realized who was missing-Ana! She scrambled to her feet then burst through the door, stepping over Samuel and Wilhelm as she went.  
The next room seemed to be furnished, at least, although with what appeared to be five coffins. Six people sat in the room, an apparent conversation was interrupted by Luca. She looked around, noting Ana, the man from the pub, a woman in rags, who seemed to be a leper, a gypsy man, a gentleman in a fine suit, and a rather hairy looking man with long dirty blonde hair. The man she'd met from the pub smiled as he watched the others pile out from behind Luca, announcing to the others in the room, "And so it begins, my friends."

* * *

A.N. Well, folks, let me know what you think. It's been a while since the story has been run (two years) but I keep coming back to the plot line, feeling that it needs to be put down somewhere.


	2. Introduction Into the Night

**Introduction Into the Night**

The man from the pub stood from the coffin he'd been sitting on. He smiled as he looked at the confused faces from across the room. "Friends, it is quite the honor to meet you all again, reborn, of course."

Exclamations resounded from the group as they expressed concerns on what the man was trying to indicate.

He continued, "How rude of me, of course, to not introduce myself and my colleagues first, though. I am Andre of Clan Brujah."

He pointed to the leper woman in rags. "This is Sara, of Clan Nosferatu."

The gypsy tipped his hat and even managed a faint bow with a mischievous grin on his face as he was introduced. "Alexandru of Clan Ravnos."

The gentleman in the fine suit was, "Edgar of Clan Toreador."

And the hairy blonde man, "And finally Ian of Clan Gangrel."

"Now I'm sure that none of these terms have done any good in clarifying matters to each of you. You have all been chosen to carry out a mission for the good of the nation, and a cause greater than perhaps any of us can fathom."

"Why us?" The gypsy boy inquired. His dark eyes reflected some anger at the situation, though his voice was calm.

Andre chuckled at him. For such a quiet question, a lengthy reply was going to be necessary. "To start off, each of you is a new face that our opponent organization, the Camarilla, does not know. You also each seem to posses skills and qualities that will benefit one another on this journey. Dimitri, you posses the skills of a thief and as such, you also are able to spot an illusion when you see one. Your red-headed friend beside you, Sylas, possesses knowledge of the forests and has had to live on his own for a long time before your troupe found him. Wilhelm, the doctor, needless to say, has a great knowledge of medicines. Samuel, the once orphaned boy, understands what it is to live on the street, and has made friends with many traveling merchants. Luca, the village headman's daughter, has a fiery passion and the raw strength to take care of herself and each of you."

Wilhelm pointed to his sister. "What about Ana, why did you choose her, and what did you do to her?"

"Ana remains untouched. However she is key in all of this."

At this point Alexandru stood and gave Andre a knowing smirk. "What my friend Andre has forgotten to include in all of this is a rather important fact and an answer to questions plaguing each of you. When we took you tonight, we _did_ change you. You are now all vampires. Your village has been destroyed, your kinsmen have been massacred. My condolences to each of you. The original plan was to get you all away without the bloodshed, however, our pursuers have caught onto our plan and had tried to sabotage it tonight."

Each of the five newly created vampires now stood silent. In the blink of an eye, forces they'd never once known about, changed their lives--now unlives--forever.

Andre frowned and then broke the silence. "Well, thank you for the blunt explanation, Alex, but I was getting to all of that. I suppose I should continue with what I was saying. Ana is the whole reason that the Camarilla have come to this village in the first place. We learned of their actions and simply beat them to her. You see, she is a seer, an oracle, and she possesses knowledge and foresight that even the eldest of vampires do not have. As such, she would be considered as a valuable asset to the Prince of London."

Befuddled, Luca interrupted with, "What does English royalty have to do with any of this?"

"Not royalty, childe, the leader of the Camarilla. He feels that she would be an extraordinary asset in his court. _We_ feel that it would be advantageous for our movement, commonly known as the 'Anarchs,' for Ana _not_ to fall into his hands. You see, the Camarilla is quite the oppressive force, seeking to control Kindred and Kine alike." Seeing the confused faces before him, Andre realized that he had his work more than cut out for him.

Over the next several hours, each of the elder vampires began explaining everything they could to their respective childer, sometimes interjecting their own opinions into one another's conversations. By the end, each understood who they were and what they were able to do.

Luca, the fiery red-head was known as a Brujah, she possessed abilities of super-strength, speed, and allure. Her Irish nature to be short-tempered was even more enhanced by the blood now flowing in her veins and her deep green eyes would reflect the compassion for others for many, many more nights.

Wilhelm, the dark-haired, quiet doctor, was now a member of the clan Toreador. Scholars and artists were common to his blood, and he now also possessed unearthly allure, speed, and a sight beyond sight. He had been warned, though, that he would find tomes of knowledge particularly _entrancing_.

Dimitri, the calm, calculating gypsy, had been turned by the Ravnos, Alexandru. He now was able to communicate with beasts, both natural and supernatural. His skills in life as a thief and con-artist would serve well with his new-found blood ability to create illusions and in some cases, even bend reality. It was also explained that if needed, he would be able to withstand far more damage than a mortal and even what many vampires could take.

Sylas, the rugged wild man and Dimitri's best friend, was now of clan Gangrel. Not only was he able to communicate with animals and withstand pain and punishment like Dimitri was able to, he could also change his body to be like an animal.

Samuel, poor Samuel, had been turned into what seemed to be the most cursed of all vampiric kind. He was now a Nosferatu, and with a little practice, he would be able to turn invisible, communicate with beasts, and attack with super-human force.

And now they were a group, a family, a pack. Even though somewhat unwillingly, they were brought together for the purpose of hiding and protecting one girl. So with one of the only gypsy wagons left over from the attack on the caravan, they began their travels.


	3. Une Nuit de Paris

**Une Nuit de Paris**

One year had passed, and each of the five had grown somewhat with experience. They all were well dedicated to taking care of Ana and protecting her and themselves from the vampires of the Camarilla. She kept care of them over the day time, and in turn, they cared for her during the night.

They had come to call Paris, France their home for several months now. Anarchs predominately held the area, though groups of Camarilla were beginning to push their way into the city. Dimitri and Sylas kept a steady flow of income to help support them, though through means that Luca preferred not to know about. Theft was a sin, and she reminded them of this often.

Wilhelm offered his services as a doctor to those who were overcome with illness in the night. Patients that needed further assistance during the day were often cared for by Ana.

Samuel had learned to disguise his appearance and his stench and was often out in the city, assisting the efforts of the local Anarchs and watching for any dangers that could come to the group.

Luca, who had no given profession, often stayed at their home, watching over Ana as she slept and during this time, she honed the fighting techniques that Andre had passed on to her. Though she knew in the back of her mind that such brute behavior was not becoming of a lady, she enjoyed the thrill that came with strengthening herself.

And so it was one night, shortly after the group had awakened for the night, that their peaceful lives in Paris came crashing down.

Ana was sitting at the table, enjoying a bit of soup that she'd cooked for herself. She greeted each of her family as they woke. Luca stretched as she walked out and looked out the window to the night sky. She found herself often lamenting that she would never again see the glory of a sunny day, but she also counted herself thankful that in the ashes of her village, she'd found friends that were just as close as any family she could ever hope for. And, in spite of her initial mistrust, Dimitri was indeed her closest companion in times of stress.

Her thoughts were disturbed, however, by a crashing sound coming from the front of the house. As she spun around to see what it was, the others converged upon a box that had been thrown through the window.

After a short debate, Luca stepped away from the others and opened the box. If it was something harmful, she reasoned, then whoever threw it would have just thrown in something already in flames. As she looked inside, she saw that the contents were not quite so dangerous as Sylas and Wilhelm had initially insisted that they were. She sat on the floor as she pulled each of five items out, shock registering with her as she withdrew the last item. It had been her father's ring, bearing their family crest.

The same effect seemed to take over the others as well. Two items were from the gypsy troupe that Dimitri and Sylas once traveled with, one being the diving crystal that the old blind woman kept with her at all times. A dagger apparently belonged to Samuel, one that he had been gifted with when he was a child. And the final item was a jade hair comb that Wilhelm recognized at once as a family heirloom that he'd gifted his wife with before they had married.

Further discussion ensued, leading the group to conclude that they had been found out, and by someone who did thorough research. Even worse yet, whoever it was knew exactly where they were. As they discussed among one another what plan they would take, Ana collapsed on the floor. She held her arms close to her chest and began screaming in apparent pain. It wasn't long before the group noticed blood staining her shirt from behind her arms.

Just as they stepped forward to assist her, everything went quiet. It wasn't the first time that they had experienced this particular phenomenon, and they knew that this ability lay in the hands of the children of Clan Assamite. In their first weeks of travel, they'd been plagued by a rather stubborn Assamite assassin, one whom had nearly succeeded in delivering Luca to her final death. After her recovery, Luca pushed herself to recovery as quickly as possible and then began studying fighting techniques against this particular nuisance.

If this one was indeed their old friend, they knew he was set to strike at any moment. Luca crept into their sleeping quarters, knowing that he would do his best to destroy their coffins in an effort to leave them exposed during the day. Dimitri was close behind her to help stop the assassin while Sylas, Wilhelm, and Samuel watched over Ana. Wilhelm was trying desperately to stop his younger sister's bleeding, though it seemed that the blood just kept coming.

Luca caught the assassin off-guard and threw him several feet back with a solid punch to his jaw. He seemed stunned for a moment as he rubbed a now broken jaw and spotted part of the reason he was in so much pain. Since he'd last fought her, the Irish Brujah had acquired a fist weapon. She also seemed considerably stronger. Six months made quite the effect on young vampires, he reasoned. A stinging pain in his shoulder and the Assamite deduced that now was not the time for reasoning as the Ravnos boy attacked him as well. He had underestimated his opponents, but given them enough of a diversion for his master to perform her work.

He turned to exit out the window from which he'd come, but instead of a window, there appeared to be a wall. He rushed past the Brujah and the Ravnos at a higher speed than either of them had yet been able to achieve and headed to the front door of the shack. Another wall! He knew something was up, and just as the rest of the group was closing in on him, he forced the door open and made his escape. By the time they had all ran into the street looking for him, he had dropped around a corner in stealth. Tonight was not a night for him to die.

Luca raged in frustration that she had not been able to dispatch the assassin this time, since he had been able to escape, that meant that if he were indeed the only one who knew where they were, he could now report to, well, whoever it was he was reporting to. She knew that just a moment longer and she would have bested him, as it seemed apparent to her that he was of thinner blood than her own, and while he may have surpassed her in age by a few years, she had more raw power at her disposal.

But now was not the time to be worrying over the assassin, Ana was in the kitchen area of their home, still bleeding from her arms. Seeing that the wounds continued to seep through the bandages, Wilhelm did something that he had long put off. He withdrew a surgical knife from his box, made a slight incision on his wrist, and provided his blood to his sister. He made a point to not give her so much that she would be turned, but just enough that she would benefit from the healing properties of the supernatural vitae. The wounds on Ana's arms closed, although they still were red with irritation. Each of the group stared at Ana's arms, and finally Dimitri spoke. "These are symbols... It looks familiar, I think I've seen them before, but I'm not quite sure what they say."  
"But who could translate that at this hour??" Luca didn't have nearly the experience or knowledge of what went on around this city, as she spent most of the time watching over Ana in her sleep, but she did realize that most services such as what they needed would be closed at this hour. Samuel shifted as he seemed to be in deep thought. "There is a Romani woman on the other side of town, she may have either knowledge of the symbols on Ana's arms, or else she will know of where to look."

"At any rate, we do need to leave, we're obviously no longer safe here. Pack everything quickly and we shall go." Dimitri was already packing his personal effects and preparing to take them out to their caravan.

Since they'd left England and had the time to gather the materials, they'd built up and improved their single, massive wagon. It was now divided in two halves, the back half completely sealed with shelves just deep and long enough for each of them to slide into. With a little assistance from Samuel, Sylas added doors to the sides so that if need be, they could also have their privacy. In the front they'd added a small padded bed against one wall of the wagon, and also had a hinged door that was able to cover the bed, but still leave about 2 feet of space for whoever needed to sleep there. The intention was for it to be a sleeping area for Ana, but they had yet to test it out.

In a matter of moments, the group had all made their way to the caravan, each taking one last look at the shack that had been their home for the past several months. Wilhelm gently set Ana on the padded bed, checking to make sure that her wounds had not reopened. Before he knew it, they had hitched the horses and drove their way across the city, stopping outside the Romani woman's home.

Dimitri took ink to paper and copied down the symbols that were still present on Ana's arms. He took the paper he'd written on and followed Samuel out of the caravan. Samuel stood outside the door, glancing down the street both ways, as though making sure no one else was there. Then he reached for a string a few feet away from the door and pulled on it several times.

In the distance, a bell could be heard ringing, and then a light appeared from the second story of the house. Footsteps were heard and then finally the old woman appeared at the door. She squinted as she looked at the group at her door, looked outside, also seeming to check for others, and waved at them all to come in. She waddled into the house and into a second room with a large table on it. With a wave of her hands, all of the candles in the room lit themselves. She let out a heavy sigh as she sat on a tall wooden stool at the head of the table. "What is it that brings you all here, children?"

Dimitri stepped forward, the page of paper in his hands, and handed it to the mysterious old woman. She stared at it for a few moments and then turned around to a vast bookshelf behind her. After waddling back and forth, squinting, and sighing, the woman pointed to a book on the top shelf, crooked her finger, and it slid from the shelf and into her hand. She lay the book flat upon the table, open to a page about halfway through. She wrinkled her old nose at the book, then held her hand several inches above the middle of the book. The pages flipped forward, backward, all of their own accord. Finally they stopped and she set her finger on the page. Looking down, reading yet not reading, she shook her head.

"You children have many long nights ahead. Some less than others. However… This is what those symbols are referencing. The three goddesses, or perhaps better known as the fates, carved into three ancient relics. The goddess of darkness carved into onyx, appearing as an old woman is the first. The second, the goddess of conflict, is carved into amber as a woman with child. The third, the jade goddess of chaos is carved as a young girl. Separate, these relics can be a potent magic. Together, though, they could prove to be more than simply a force to be reckoned with.

"Tell me, where did you find these symbols? They certainly were not found on that sheet of paper, still wet with ink."

The group looked at one another, and then in silent agreement, Luca and Wilhelm stepped out of the house and returned with Ana, still unconscious. Gingerly, Wilhelm unwrapped the bandages he'd placed on his sister's arm and showed it to the old woman. "My, my, my… Surely the child did not do this to herself, did she?"

The two solemnly shook their heads. Considering that they'd just been attacked, they weren't sure why they trusted the old woman, especially after they'd seen some of what she was able to do.

Noticing that no one else was in any hurry to ask, Dimitri finally broke the silence. "Where can we find these?"

No sooner than he spoke the word, Ana began to stir. Her fingers twitched, and then she sat up, her eyes still closed. An uncharacteristic smile crept over her face as she seemed to look around the room, though her eyes were still closed. A dark chuckle escaped her lips as her face turned to Dimitri. When she spoke, her voice was not her own, but instead a deeper, more strained voice. "Find those statues, bring them to me, and I'll let the girl live."

Now was the old sorceress's time to be surprised. Her face blanched as she stared at Ana. She lifted an accusing finger, pointing at the girl. "Demon! Demon!" She shrieked.

A deep, rich laugh rumbled from Ana's throat. "Come now, old hag, surely you'd remember that I take offense to that term."

"Leave her at once, _monster_!"

A cool smile swept across Ana's face. She held up her most injured arm and swept her fingers over the skin. The wounds began bleeding anew. She looked around at the rest of the group, although her eyes were still closed. "Bring this girl to me and she will suffer no more."

Suppressing her own fear and anger (somewhat) Luca shook her head. "Who are you, and what do you want with Ana?"

"It is not I that wants her. She has been requested by my Prince, and he _gets_ what he _wants_, girl. He's growing rather impatient that he has waited for over a year now. And when he isn't happy, I am not."

With this, Ana stopped, her eyes flew open and she clamped her hands over her ears. She curled into the fetal position, rocking back and forth, crying and mumbling. As Wilhelm moved to tend to her wounds, the old woman seemed to recover from her shock. She turned to the desk behind her and withdrew several pieces of parchment. With an ink bottle and a quill, she set to writing as though her life depended on it. The characters she used were completely unfamiliar to anyone in the group, as they merely seemed to be vertical, horizontal, and diagonal strokes thrown together at random. In the matter of a few moments, she'd written dozens of them, and took two and handed to the travelers. "Post these on your caravan. They will ward evil, but they cannot stop it entirely. If the girl sleeps, she is more susceptible to that _monster's_ magics. Make her sleep during the day."

"So that was another vampire that did that to her?" Samuel inquired incredulously.

"And a most powerful one at that, child. Now hurry, you must leave." The woman began pushing the group out of her home, as though not doing so soon enough would bring death to her old bones faster. Perhaps it would. She handed the book that had referenced the relics to Dimitri, as of all of the group, he seemed to have the best handle on that part of their situation. "I have heard rumors of sorcerers that have possession of the goddess of conflict to the east, in Germany. Travel with haste, perhaps you can find these items before _she_ can."

And with those words, the group returned to the caravan with Ana, posting the wards that the sorceress had provided them on the doors. The group remained quiet as they continued out of the city, no words spoken between them as they contemplated what they must do next.

* * *

A.N. Well that was a thrill-ride to re-write. It's been so long since we went through that scene (or any of the others) that I took quite a few liberties with some of the events. Particularly the old witch. She turned out much better this way, though, I think.

Also, please note that without doing loads of research of historical geography, there is no way that many of the cities referenced are historically correct. But time period correctness is not the point here, the point is the store. )

Next time, our travels take us to Berlin.


	4. Midnight Encounter

**Midnight Encounter**

While traveling, Dimitri passed what time he wasn't driving the caravan reading the book that the old woman had given him. He learned a fair amount about ancient relics, legends, and other matters of the occult. He began reading and studying the book to the point that he'd lost interest in much of anything else for the rest of the night.

After several days, the rest of the group prodded Samuel to tell them exactly who and _what_ the old woman from Paris was. Much to their surprise, she was his grandmother. According to him, she was a sorceress of a faction that she'd referred to as the Order of Hermes. Her daughter, his mother, had not inherited the same capability with magic that she'd hoped, and thus, she rejected her daughter. As time had passed, the old woman saw the error of her ways, and when her grandson returned to the city of Paris, she felt honor-bound to assist him in whatever he was doing. Even if that meant assisting _vampires_. In her old age, she did realize that they weren't all simply blood-sucking fiends out to tarnish the minds and bodies of the innocent. After all, members of her own tradition were rumored to have been seeking immortality by drinking the blood of vampires and worse.

Although much speculation was had, no one could come up with an answer to why the old woman would have known whoever it was that possessed Ana. However, they had been careful to only allow Ana to sleep during the daylight hours. Given that there were more hours in the day during the spring months than there were in the night, Ana generally was able to take over driving the caravan a few hours after dawn to select a place to stay for the daylight hours that would be safe from thieves or other intruders.

After about two weeks of travel, the group nearly reached the eastern border of Germany. Ana had stopped the caravan several kilometers outside of the nearest city, in a wooded area that seemed to pose no threat. Her sleep was troubled, during the daylight hours, however, so she continued into the city with enough time to check into a hostel just before sunset. She had just enough time before the rest of the group woke to buy new sets of clothing for each of them. It would be a pleasant surprise to each of them, not to mention it would improve their smell. Even by medieval standards, they had been wearing the same clothes far too long. At the very least, she could tell them that the clothing was a token of her appreciation for protecting her for so long--and perhaps a good bribe for them to let her sleep in the hotel for a few hours.

As the group woke, they wandered out of the caravan, and upon seeing Ana standing outside with a few linen sacks in her arms. She set the sacks on the front of the caravan as an employee of the hostel took the horses to the stables for rest. As each of her five friends stepped out, she handed a specific parcel to them. Each of the guys received a new pair of dark brown pants, and either a blue or black shirt. For Luca, there was a new dress made in a thick, durable material the same color of green as her eyes. Ana hoped that they'd all get the hint and find a bath to clean themselves in and then discard their old clothes immediately, but instead they decided that they'd begin their search for clues about the statues. Sylas and Samuel paired off to meet an acquaintance of Samuel's, and Dimitri, Luca and Wilhelm decided they'd put their heads together about the information they had gathered already while in the hostel.

Sylas and Samuel made their way across the city, going by directions that Samuel was straining to remember as they walked. Finally he reached what appeared to be a general store on the other side of the city. He stared at the building for a bit, stood a few feet away from the door, though still under the eaves, and pulled a string beside a window. A ringing was heard in the distance and a light appeared from the second story of the store. Footsteps were heard, and a few candles could be seen lighting inside, though this time lit from another candle, by normal means. The door cracked open and one eye looked out, as though verifying that Sylas and Samuel were no danger.

Finally the door opened, just long enough to let Samuel and Sylas enter. Samuel leaned over a counter in the store and began asking the man for whatever information he may have.

After a few moments of consideration, the man began to recount how he'd heard of sorcerers in the forests to the south who were said to carry relics such as those that Samuel had described to him. He began to add in that the sorcerers were know to kidnap--and just before he was able to finish what he was explaining, everything went quiet. Samuel pushed for Sylas to begin running, and turned to tell the man to run as well. He looked up just in time to see the assassin that had been following them for so long bite into his contact's throat. Judging by the man's expression, it wasn't a well-received sensation.

Samuel and Sylas scrambled to run out of the store and headed back to the hostel that Luca and the others were staying at. As soon as they were certain they weren't being followed, they both dropped into an alley, stealthed themselves, and hurried along, hidden from sight.

Back at the hostel, Ana found herself growing tired of the discussion between Luca, Dimitri, and Wilhelm and excused herself to retire to the room that they'd rented. Luca, who largely hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, excused herself as well and followed Ana up the stairs. Just as Ana walked through the door to the room and Luca was right behind her, she shut and locked the door. Frustrated that her friend had locked her out, Luca knocked on the door and asked to be let in. A muffle, irritated reply came from the other side of the door, "Give me a minute, I'd like to at least change my clothes in peace."

Luca agreed to Ana's request and sat down on the floor, her back to the door frame. Just as she began to wander in her thoughts, she heard a crash on the other side of the door. She leapt to her feet and tried to open the door.

"Ana! Ana, are you alright?"

When no answer came from the other side of the door, Luca handled things the one way both her Irish and Brujah blood told her to-she simply broke down the door.

Having heard the commotion upstairs, Dimitri and Wilhelm ran up to assist. They got to the door just in time to see Luca staring down a man they'd never seen before, who was standing on the other side of the bed in the room, which Ana was lying unconscious in.

The man seemed to calmly assess the situation, made eye contact with Luca, and smirked. To Luca, that was the last straw, as she lunged across the room, fists forward. Still smiling, the man dodged her attack as though she'd been moving in slow motion.

Dimitri and Wilhelm each got their bearings and made moves to attack the man as well. As they each moved into the room, they began to realize just how small the hostel room was, especially with 4 adults fighting in it, each careful not to bother the unconscious teen on the bed. Wilhelm backed himself into a corner, pulled his hunting bow from the strap on his shoulder, and notched an arrow. As he took aim to hit the man, he made eye contact with his target, who then winked at him as he released the arrow. As Wilhelm's eyes followed the path of the arrow, he realized exactly why the man winked as he had. Just as the arrow flew, the man had dodged an attack from Luca, who followed through with her attack, moving forward, right into the path of the arrow. The arrow embedded itself deep into Luca's right shoulder. Rather than stopping to take care of the wound, she used the other vampire's hesitation against him and landed a bone-shattering punch to the man's chest.  
His smile faded into a scowl. In the blink of an eye, he moved to the open window and leaned out on the sill. "I'll be seeing you all again soon." He warned as he shifted into a crow and flew away.

Wilhelm notched another arrow and aimed out the window to the crow that vanished into the night sky. Realizing that he wouldn't hit, Wilhelm relaxed and set the bow down. He turned to see Luca glaring at him as she worked the arrow out of her shoulder.

But now wasn't the time to be arguing amongst one another, as they turned to Ana, seeing her sit upright, with the same void expression on her face as she turned to them, eyes closed, and a wicked smile on her face. She sighed and shook her head. "Children, children, how you disappoint me. Here I thought that I'd kindly requested for you to bring this girl to me, and instead you head further away from London yet. Surely you did not get lost?"

Wilhelm shook his head. "Never, you cannot have her."

"Now, now, boy that simply will not do." She hesitated for a moment, thinking, and then nodded her head to herself. "Here's the deal I propose to you. You let my friend Thomas take her with him and bring her back to London, or else I simply kill her here and now."

While Dimitri and Luca hesitated in quiet contemplation, Wilhelm picked his bow up. He notched an arrow and aimed it directly at Ana's chest, causing her possessor to burst out in laughter. "So you're taking the latter option then? And you're even going to save me the trouble of killing her? So be it."

"What the HELL are you doing, Wilhelm?" The normally quiet Dimitri exclaimed as he moved to stand between Ana and Wilhelm.

"They told us that she couldn't fall into the Camarilla's hands, and I have no intentions of letting that happen. Who knows what they'd do to her!"

Luca could be contained no longer as she leapt at Wilhelm, knocking him into the wall. Thinking quickly, and trying to make sure that the two wouldn't kill each other, Dimitri fashioned an illusion strong enough to make Wilhelm think that he'd been subdued by a stake in his chest. Luca was made to see the illusion as well, and as such, let go of the doctor. She turned to Ana with a sickened expression on her face. "Please. Let us discuss this matter."

"So be it. Meet with Thomas at the western edge of the city in two hours." With that, her eyes fluttered open, and they could tell that Ana had control once more. "I'm so sorry. I--I just… I have to go, I don't want them to hurt you guys. They'll keep coming until everyone has…"

Luca shook her head as she moved to sit next to her friend. She pulled her into a tight embrace as blood tears began to fall from her eyes. "I just don't want to lose anyone else… please, it's okay... If you're there, we can possibly save you… but if you're dead…"

Before they had much chance to say any more, a loud crash was heard just outside the window. Luca and Dimitri rushed to the window in time to see that their Assamite 'friend' had cornered Samuel. With blinding speed and without a thought, Luca ran out the window. Peering out, Dimitri fashioned an illusion to make the Assamite believe that he had caught fire. As the assassin ran for fear of the flames, Luca stopped him with a fist in his chest. _There is only one way to stop this…_ Luca hesitated for a moment, and then bit into the Assamite.

Luca drank in of the other vampire's vitae until there was nothing left but ash in the wind. For a moment she felt a chill and the other vampire's very soul seemed to scream to her. She felt anger, and then an image of a tall, thin woman with dark eyes and long black hair. A smug grin seemed to make it's way onto the image's face and then it laughed. More anger flared upon hearing that laugh, anger that wasn't merely Luca's own. She felt conflicted for a moment, and then all of these emotions washed over with a sigh of relief. _I know you will finish her._ The words echoed in Luca's mind for a few moments and then she brought herself back to reality.

Unsure as to what else could be done, and knowing that she had a limited time, Luca walked back into the hostel. She stopped at the caravan, placed something in her pocket, and motioned for Sylas and Samuel to come with her. She made her way up the stairs quietly and solemnly. She stepped into the room and looked at Ana. From Ana, she looked to Dimitri and then moved to stand over Wilhelm, who was still stunned. She held the stake that she'd taken from the caravan over his chest and nodded to Dimitri.

As Wilhelm regained consciousness, he felt a tinge of pain at his chest. He also felt pressure on his chest, like something weighing him down. He opened his eyes to see Luca leaning over him, looking quite upset.

"Don't **ever** pull something so stupid again. No one is going to die. Not if I can help it," she added, as though the last part had been just as much to herself as it was to him.

He began to argue the matter back, but as he felt a sudden draw to her gaze, he lost the will to tell her that she was wrong. He just wanted to do something to make her not so angry at him. He mumbled out an apology and she let him up.

The group wasted little time getting re-situated to travel again. Ana did her best to bid her goodbyes to everyone in the group, but Wilhelm couldn't even bring himself to look at her. He apologized a time or so for what he'd tried to do in the hostel, but he did not appear to be forgiving himself over the matter.

Samuel seemed to be deeply upset over having lost his contact from the city to the assassin. Even more deeply, though, he regretted that he had made no move to assist him. When the Assamite had cornered him outside the hostel, he had resigned himself to deserving death. But when Dimitri and Luca had interfered and later reassured him otherwise, he felt a bit better. Determined, if for no other reason, to live and not let the deaths that had passed to be in vain.

More than anyone in the group, the most upset about Ana's leaving seemed to be Luca. She vowed again and again that she would find these mysterious statues and rescue Ana herself, even if that meant fighting all of London.

All of the reassurance in the world, however, had not prepared her for seeing _him_ again. They arrived at the western edge of the city and saw the man smiling in the moonlight at the approaching caravan. Luca walked with Ana halfway between the caravan and the man. Raged boiled within Luca's mind as soon as she bid her last goodbye to Ana. He helped the girl get onto his horse and climbed on behind her. Luca shot a glare to the man and warned, "You'd better take good care of the girl. If so much as a hair on her head is displaced…"

If she'd thought he'd been smug previously, this was nothing to the spiteful, smug expression on his face as he collected the horse's reigns in one hand. With the other, he pulled Ana to a side so that her face was close to his own. And then he licked her, keeping full eye contact with Luca.

It was the last straw, all she saw was red, as Luca rushed him. He turned the horse and kicked it to a gallop as she slowly fell behind in her pursuit. She could hear his laughter ringing through the forest as he rode further and further, until he was out of sight and she was out of energy. She fell to her knees and began crying once again.

After a several moments that had seemed to Luca to be an eternity, the rest of the group caught up to her, coaxed her into the caravan, and continued for the rest of the night. They stopped just before daybreak just within a forest's edge. Looking across a rolling plain, they saw a village in the distance. The next night, they would have to work on finding more clues, and more importantly, someone to watch over the caravan during the day.

* * *

A.N. Well, that took longer than I'd wanted to get up. I had to verify a few details for that chapter with my friend who had run the game, and my friend who played Dimitri.

It may very well be a while until I'm able to post up the next chapter, as I have alot of details to discuss for that one, and I'm trying to figure if I should split that next session into two parts or not... Either way, thanks to everyone who has stopped by so far, drop some review-y love some time and let me know what you guys think of it thus far. )


	5. Beware who you meet at a tavern

**Beware who you meet at a tavern**

The next evening found a rattled group waking up. It had been a year since their embrace, and never once in that whole time had they woke without Ana sitting outside of their sleeping quarters with a bright smile on her face. Even to Sylas and Dimitri, who had never known the girl before that one fateful night, something was just missing. It was too quiet, calm, and between Wilhelm and Luca, pretty tense. Or maybe it was just that Luca was tense, and Wilhelm was the unfortunate soul who fell into being the object of her ire.

After a few minutes of milling around and then getting something to drink from the forest, the group continued into the village. For a such small town, the village was quiet active even after dark. Some discussion was had, and Dimitri, Sylas, and Samuel decided to head over to visit with a contact that Samuel knew of in the village. Glaring at each other, hating every moment of it, Luca and Wilhelm agreed that it was high time to perhaps hire someone to assist them and watch over the caravan during the daylight hours.

They decided that their first stop would be at the heart of the village's social interaction--the pub.

Luca and Wilhelm sat themselves at an empty table in the corner of the pub, quietly observing all that was going on around them. The constant drone of conversation all around them was quite reminiscent of the pub that had once been in their home town.

Noting that all of the people seemed to be conversing in a Germanic tongue, they began their conversation in English. That is, if what they were having could be considered 'conversation.' If it were not for the guilt he felt already, Wilhelm would have become angry with Luca's indirect verbal attacks and insults. Of course what he had tried to do the previous night wasn't the best of decisions, but she didn't have the objective view on the matter. He was doing what he could for the best interests of their overall effort. Yes, the immediate mission was to protect Ana, but in the grand scheme of things, what was one sacrifice if it meant disabling whatever plans the Camarilla had in mind for the girl??

As for Luca, her mind was still racing from the previous night. Her heart wrenched at not only the idea of what had happened with Ana, but also of the act that she'd committed. She couldn't help but notice that in spite of everything, even as talkative as the group normally was, they made no mention of her method of disposing of the assassin. Even though he was an enemy, she questioned herself many times over in her own mind. Who was she to take his life? Who was she to _eat_ him? Not just the blood in his veins, but she could feel his very soul consumed within her own. Sometimes she thought she heard whispers from his thoughts in her own. But, much to her surprise, there was never an express feeling of hate. At least, not towards her. The woman from London, she surmised, was no friend of his. Her concentration on the matter was broken, however, by someone standing in front of her, speaking.

The young man looked aggravated as he cleared his throat and repeated his question. The red-headed woman still appeared dazed as she brought her gaze into his own. He spoke first in German, and then when that did not work, he spoke to her in English. "Can I get you something, ma'am?"

Blinking and looking to her left, where Wilhelm had previously been seated, Luca hesitated. As though knowing what she was trying to figure out, the young man stepped to a side and pointed to Wilhelm, standing at the bar, conversing with a few other men. "Do you need to ask your husband's permission?"

Annoyed by the mere insinuation, Luca snapped, "No, I don't, and he's not my husband!"

She calmed herself for a moment, realizing that her annoyance with Wilhelm was no fault of the young man and muttered an apology. Only at that point did she remember just how far away from her homeland she was, and how much the young man didn't quite look like any of the locals. Whereas they mostly had black hair and brown eyes, the young man before her had light brown hair, cut short and curly, and piercing blue eyes. "I'll have a water," she finally choked out.

He gave her a funny look, then turned around and walked up to the bar. He seemed to continue talking for several minutes and then returned with two glasses. One with water, the other with some sort of alcoholic beverage. He took the empty seat next to Luca and passed her the water glass. When he relaxed back into the chair for a moment, it was Luca's turn to give him the funny look.

"My shift is over, and I rather enjoy the presence of beautiful women, if you don't mind, ma'am."

_Oh. Is that all. Wait. Me?_ Luca's face flushed--or at least it would have if she were still living.

Seeing that he would have to take the initiative in this matter, the young man reached across the table and shook Luca's hand. He smiled at her and introduced himself, "My name is Gregory. And yours?"

"Luca." It had been so long since she'd talked to anyone outside of her immediate group, much less a mortal, in such a fashion. A voice spoke from behind her, though the only thing out of the whole phrase Luca understood of the whole thing was the name 'Wilhelm.' _Damn. There went that chance… _Looking down at Luca, Wilhelm spoke in Latin, "Who is he?"

"I am but a barkeep, my friend," came the Latin response from across the table. He then continued by listing off several other languages, ending the list in English with, "And many more."

Luca smiled in approval. "Are your talents not wasted here in this village as a barkeep?"

Gregory shrugged.

"Perhaps you would consider employment with a group of travelers who could use someone who speaks so many tongues…" Luca had discussed matters of finance with Dimitri before, if they ever needed, they had more than enough funds to properly pay someone for their services.

Gregory nodded and then gestured for them to step out of the pub. It was not wise to discuss alternate means of employment in the house of business for which one works. The two followed him out, and then by Luca's lead, continued on to the caravan.

The two men turned over the horse's water barrels and sat to discuss. Luca stepped inside the caravan, determined that they needed help and they needed it soon. She pulled one of the wine bottles that had been left over from the previous owner of the wagon. Lightly she grasped Ana's favorite pewter goblet and poured it half-full with wine. Setting the wine bottle down, she bit her finger and squeezed some of her own vitae into the already deep red wine. She glanced out to see that the two were having an in-depth discussion in what she thought was German, so she proceeded to fill the wine bottle back up the same way that she'd filled the goblet.

As she stepped out of the caravan, Luca smiled and directed her most seductive, alluring will in Gregory's direction. The young man looked up at her, unfazed until he saw the goblet in her hand. Eagerly he reached out for it.

Luca blinked a few times. Previously when she had done a similar act, the targeted person would stumble over themselves to do whatever she wished. With a shrug, she passed the drink to Gregory.

Wilhelm flashed her a quizzical look, which vanished as soon as she shook her head. Now wasn't the time to ask.

Gregory took a long sip of the wine that Luca had handed to him. It was different than any wine he had tasted before, yet something seemed so… familiar. Another sip and he felt pure ecstasy. The third confirmed what he had been wondering. "So, eh, why do you guys only travel at night and need a day-time guide again?"

Luca paused and then began her explanation, "We have an objective to carry out and people who wish to prevent us from reaching that objective. To make better time, we need to travel night and day."

"But if there are five of you as he said, why not take shifts?"

Before Luca could answer, Wilhelm leaned forward and flatly stated, "Because we are vampires."

Gregory had been about halfway through taking another sip of his wine and looked like he could choke. He even missed the burning glare that Luca shot to Wilhelm as he finished off what was left of the wine in his cup. He held his hand out to Luca, who was staring dumbly at him, and he gestured to the wine bottle that she still held. When she handed it to him, he quietly poured the glass full again, drained it, and filled it once more. He stared at the glass, as though it held the answer to the meaning of life. "You're kidding, right?"

Before Luca could even stop him Wilhelm confirmed the question with a nod and a smile. "And if you don't want to come along with us, we'll kill you."

"WILHELM!!" Luca looked as though she would rather strangle the Toreador than to look at him. After a moment, she calmed herself and quietly spoke. "Have you already forgotten what I said yesterday? No one is going to die. And that is certainly no way to treat someone that you would have watch over you by day."

* * *

…Meanwhile, on the other side of the village…

Samuel reached the hut on the edge of the village, pulled a cord a few steps away from the door, heard a bell ring within the house, and was soon greeted by a middle-aged man that bore a striking semblance to the man that they'd met in Berlin. After checking behind them several times over, they all stepped inside.

Samuel bowed his head to this man and waited a moment before he spoke. "Sir, did you perhaps have a brother in Berlin?"

The elder man stared at Samuel, and then glanced over Dimitri and Sylas as well. "I'm guessing that you're about to tell me that I don't have a brother any more then?"

The words caught in Samuel's mouth for a moment until he finally just nodded.

"Well, what do you need then? I'll not have you hanging around here getting me killed as well." The man gave the three a stern look, seemingly unaffected by the shock on Samuel's face.

Seeing as Samuel was shamed speechless, Dimitri stepped forward. "Sir, I'm sorry about your brother. If there is anything--"

"No, it's fine, it was bound to happen regardless. What do you three need?"

Dimitri hesitated before continuing. He didn't want to intrude on Samuel's information network, but it seemed that Samuel was too overwhelmed with shame and guilt to continue speaking. "Your brother discussed something about sorcerers in the forests to the south that perhaps would be in possession of some rather powerful relics. Do you know anything of these?"

The man considered for a moment and then nodded. "They are thought to be somewhere in the forest outside of town a few miles. People who have wandered in that direction disappear. Children who so much as step outside of town disappear. They are a very shifty, rather nasty bunch."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a crash resounded through the man's house. He turned around and held up a candle towards the room behind himself. It seemed no matter how he moved the light, all that the room held was darkness and thick shadow. It seemed that they were not alone…

As the man shrunk away and stepped behind the vampiric trio, they assumed defensive stances, prepared to take down whatever chose to come out of that room. They heard the soft steps of someone walking towards them, but even with their enhanced vision, they could not quite make out what was in the other room. The footsteps stopped and a light laugh crept across the room.

From the floor to their left, a black arm shot out, knocking Dimitri off-balance. Seeing his friend attacked, Sylas concentrated on his more bestial nature. His fingernails lengthened to claws and he reached over to the thing that had knocked his friend down. With one quick stroke, he slashed through it and it vanished.

* * *

Back at the caravan, the loud crash from town did not go unheard. At once, Luca knew that something was wrong, out of place. She hesitated for one moment to give Gregory one quick, long look, begging him wordlessly to stay. And then she took off more quickly than he could blink.

He sat in contemplation at Wilhelm took off behind her, but not nearly as quickly. He had his chance. He could say 'no' and go home. He could forget that he'd ever met any of them. But something in the back of his mind stopped him. Some part of him just knew that there was no escaping fate. He had taken his card and played it thus far. Might as well finish the game.

As Luca ran, rushing with all her heart and ability, her field of vision narrowed, all sound seemed to stop. She had nearly pushed herself to her limit. She was so _hungry_. But that had to wait for now. Her friends were in danger.

* * *

After the first tentacle-like arm shot out, several others reached out from the shadows of the house, the floor, the walls, everywhere. And they reappeared every time Sylas slashed through them. Just as Dimitri gained his bearings, the whole room fell into shadow. Thick, inky shadow that you could almost taste. Suffocating, it was like being dropped in a pit of molasses.

And then, when things couldn't seem to get any worse, everything went completely silent. Just as they all began to figure that they'd been beaten, the shadow vanished, washed away like the passing of a low tide. As everyone came to their senses, seeing that the danger had passed, they saw Luca standing in the doorway.

They took a few moments to help the man who lived at the house get back to bed, assuring him that they'd fixed his doors and that the shadows were after them, not him. Luca calmly explained that they were going to have a new driver and day-time guardian as they walked back to the caravan. When they got back, he'd already led the horses to a stream not far from where they'd left them for the night. He had the few of their supplies that were taken out packed back in, and after a few moments of conversation, they were ready to continue.

* * *

Well, it's the first time I've had the chance to get back to this in a while, but it is something that I'm determined to finish. For those of you wondering, it was Luca that caused the silence at the house as she ran up. After she diablerized the Assamite, she temporarily gained Quietess. Since it wasn't one of her normal abilities, she kicked it off instinctively. Since the LaSombra that was attacking them realized that back-up was on the way, and figured that it was Assamite back-up at that, he figured that it was high-time to hit the road.

On a side note, during the game play, it was actually out of orneriness that I kicked off Quietess, and it caused quite the commotion with the other players. Sylas in particular was rather... erm, _surprised_ by it. And it made for quite the laugh at the end of the session that night when I told everyone what had happened. =)


End file.
